Mateo Kovacic speaks out on what convinced him to join Chelsea

Mateo Kovacic says he was convinced to join Chelsea by the presence of new manager Maurizio Sarri.

The Croatian midfielder joined the Blues on a season long loan from Real Madrid earlier this month as part of the deal that saw Thibaut Courtois go the other way.

The 24-year-old made his debut for Chelsea this weekend, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 3-2 victory over Arsenal.

And following the win and an impressive first outing in Blue – the midfielder boasted a 100% passing rate against the Gunners on Saturday – Kovacic revealed it was the presence of Maurizio Sarri and his famous style of football that lured him to Stamford Bridge this summer.

He told Sport Klub: “First of all it was important that after three years of inconsistency in playing time in Madrid I’ve got into a team that wants me and a coach that wants and trust me.

“That’s how Chelsea happened. That’s what I really need now, as I said earlier I’m feeling really good and I want to keep it that way.”

Asked about playing under Sarri, who replaced Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge earlier in the summer, Kovacic added: “Well yeah, he knows me for a long time.

“I’ve watched a lot of his games, he likes to play and that’s what matters in my opinion. The squad is phenomenal with many great players that’s why it wasn’t so hard to adapt quick.”

Chelsea next travel to Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, and will be hoping to make it three wins out of three in the Premier League having also beat Huddersfield Town 3-0 on the opening day.